On my Plate: La Serre, Dubai.

Ideal for… Lunch with friends or taking a client out for quality food.

Restaurant name and location: La Serre Bistro & Boulangerie at Vida Hotel in the heart of Downtown, Dubai.

Cuisine: French

Atmosphere: One of Dubai’s IT places at the moment – buzzing for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I prefer it during the day as I love the fresh natural light and the Downtown view.

What they say: Encased in a beautiful two-storey glass facade, La Serre consists of a traditional Parisian boulangerie on the ground floor and a bistro on the first floor.

The boulangerie opens early morning with freshly-baked breads, viennoiserie and a light breakfast menu. Lunch and dinner are served throughout the day.

Upstairs, the bistro offers a Mediterranean inspired menu available for lunch and dinner, and a bar serving a broad selection of wines and expertly-mixed cocktails. There is also a chef’s table, where the sounds, smells and ambience of the kitchen are all involved in the dining experience.

‘The food shall embody the culture it represents, the idea being, that if you go back to the roots of the product, you will understand the direction to take it’ – Izu

What to order:

-Burrata and tomatoes (obviously. one of the best in town.)

-Onion tart

-Lentil Salad (the Hazelnuts add that delish crunch to the citrus flavour.)

-Watermelon & Feta salad

-Aubergine with truffle

-Truffle pasta (out of this world, a must order if you love your truffle.)

-Pain Perdu (French toast for dessert)

Service: When they first opened, I wasn’t impressed with the service but they have gone a long way since. (thanks for that, La Serre.)

What I loved:

-If you think it’s very similar to LPM, the head chef at La Serre, Chef Izu Ani was formerly from LPM, but La Serre still have their own charm.